Carbon removal company Climeworks is plotting an international expansion despite a recent round of layoffs and uncertainty over funding from the US government. The company tells me that Canada, Saudi Arabia, Norway and the UK fit its criteria. More here 👇 sifted.eu/articles/cli...

Scoop: Buzzy German AI startup Black Forest Labs is no longer working with Elon Musk’s xAI, Sifted has learned. w/ @mpartington.bsky.social 👇 sifted.eu/articles/xai...

Excl: Microsoft has hired a team of researchers from AI video startup Haiper — including both cofounders. Haiper came out of stealth with almost $20m in funding last year, but has since shut down its consumer business. sifted.eu/articles/mic...

I wrote much of what I think about this election before it happened, so I am going to put it all together here. My book, Autocracy Inc, described the network of autocrats who seek to undermine democracy, inside their countries and ours www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/725302...

NEW: Since 2021, London-based VC firm Future Planet Capital has secured more than £100m in public funds without any competitive bidding process. Sources tell Sifted that government officials have raised questions over its suitability for the project. sifted.eu/articles/fut...

Scoop: Mistral AI is pursuing defence contracts with governments across Europe, pitching its technology’s potential military applications, sources say. Having secured links with its native French defence ministry, Mistral is targeting officials in the UK and Germany. sifted.eu/articles/mis...

This is my Watergate wapo.st/4aBla0g

"Losing The Prince Charles Cinema would mean losing not just an iconic cultural institution, but an engine for the economy of the West End that brings people from all over to watch films, shop and eat and drink. This would have repercussions way beyond the building itself." shorturl.at/mqCG5

New: DeepSeek is forcing a strategic rethink among some of Europe's leading AI startups, more than a dozen founders and VCs tell @sifted.eu The company's meteoric rise has prompted questions over why OpenAI and others needed so much cash to achieve seemingly similar results shorturl.at/3vlnl

New: European tech VCs and founders are wrestling with what the surprise success of China's AI startup DeepSeek means for startups on the continent... More on @sifted.eu sifted.eu/articles/dee...

A true Friday story from @freyapratty.bsky.social Founder dresses as burglar to troll corporate rival: ‘I’m ready to embarrass myself’ sifted.eu/articles/gus...

Elon Musk is inspiring Europe's tech leaders to get into policy, with some taking behind-closed-door meetings and writing cheques for political parties. Musk supporters want a DOGE for the EU, while opponents are fighting groups he's endorsed such as the AfD in Germany. sifted.eu/articles/elo...

RIP David Lynch, monumental loss for cinema, pioneer filmmaker, gutted

🎉Happy to share I'm joining Sifted as news editor from next week! Backed by the Financial Times, Sifted has fast established itself as a must-read for founders and investors across Europe. I'm looking forward to getting stuck in! If you want to get in touch, ping me on [email protected]

New around here? Interested in tech? I've compiled a list of 50 or so UK technology journo accounts. Let me know if you'd like to be added! go.bsky.app/5s9g2Rn